Director of RI Dept. of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals Stepping Down
GoLocalProv News Team
Director of RI Dept. of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals Stepping Down
Boss was appointed by Governor Gina Raimondo to the post in 2017.
In November, GoLocal reported that state and federal surveys of the Zambarano Unit of the state-run Eleanor Slater Hospital, which falls under BHDDH, found that it failed to provide proper care to 72% of patients sampled.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIt also found that patients' rights were not met, following complaints made to the Rhode Island Department of Health.
Email to Staff
Boss sent the following message Wednesday morning to colleagues:
It is with mixed emotions that I am announcing my departure from state service at the end of this year. I have truly enjoyed the 15 years I have spent at BHDDH, and I respect and admire the passion, as well as the compassion, our team has for the Rhode Islanders who count on us.
I am grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to serve the governor and the people of this State. We’ve built an amazing staff who are dedicated and committed to this work. We have accomplished a great deal in my tenure as Director to serve some of Rhode Island’s most vulnerable individuals.
Having spent 15 years of my life with this department, it is the right time for me to take pause, spend time with family and to pursue some opportunities that have presented themselves. My plans will be forthcoming and I look forward to continuing to make contributions in this field. The time is right, the team’s in place, and the department is poised to move forward on the initiatives that are underway.
On a personal note, please accept my deepest thanks for the kindness and care you have so generously shared with me throughout my career in state service; please know how deeply I have appreciated it. As you know, this is a hard job and many times your well wishes or kind notes served as a reminder of just how fortunate I have been to lead a department filled with some of the best people I know. I wish you all the best as you continue to make a difference in the lives of our fellow Rhode Islanders.
Boss Bio
According to Boss' bio:
Boss was confirmed in May 2017 as the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH) as Governor Gina M. Raimondo's appointee, after serving as Acting Director for 10 months.
She has more than 20 years' experience working directly in the addictions treatment field as both a Clinical Supervisor and Program Director. In 2004, Ms. Boss joined BHDDH and became the Administrator for Substance Abuse Treatment Services and soon became the Deputy Director of the Department. As Deputy Director, she broadened her oversight of programs to include the entire behavioral healthcare system as well as involvement with Eleanor Slater Hospital, the state hospital system, and the Division of Developmental Disabilities.
Director Boss strives to make an impact on people in need, working on the development and implementation of innovative programs: from the Emergency Department Peer Recovery Coaches to Integrated Health Homes for people living with Serious Mental Illness and the RI Opioid Treatment Health Home. Ms. Boss recently received honors for the creation of what has become the AnchorED program, which provides recovery coaches for overdose survivors in Emergency Departments - the National Treatment Network (NTN) Representative of the Year Award and the Women's Health Council of Rhode Island honored her with the Karen Rosene Montella "Spark" Award for Innovation in Women's Health in Rhode Island.